RAVEN TOR

Raven Tor is the most famous Tor in the Peak, even the French have heard of this one! The main reason for its fame is the sheer number of dramatic hard routes it has produced over the years. Almost every recent wave of development in climbing standards in Britain has produced a route at this crag - The Prow, once proclaimed as the hardest route in the World; Revelations, one of the first 8a+'s in the World; Hubble, the World's first 8c+ (or even 9a?); and now Mutation, one of only a hundred or so 9a routes in the World. The crag still has more to offer and the bulging roof right of Hubble is set one day to push the notch higher again.Unlike many steep limestone crags in Yorkshire, and abroad in France and Spain, the very hard routes at Raven Tor tend to be more bouldery and powerful, with short but intensely difficult sequences rather than sustained stamina plods. This makes repeats of the top routes even harder to come by since you can't just get fitter, you need to get stronger as well. The routes a grade or two below the top routes are now mainly used as training pieces by local climbers. Sardine and its many variations have become somewhat polished over the years but they should still be regarded as excellent worthwhile challenges by any aspiring sport climber. Indecent Exposure and Body Machine are both fine, sustained lines and The Prow itself is probably the best of the lot, offering a great free route with a devious line up the centre of the crag. For the less experienced climber, Raven Tor has little to offer except big grades to oggle at. Boulderers will find plenty to keep themselves busy, especially on the right-hand side of the crag.